Five for Fighting
Rated: PG-13
Disclaimer: Still don't own a thing!
A/N: This is a pretty slow chapter - give me feedback on what you think should happen cause I'm at a bit of a loss :) the faster the feedback, the sooner the next chapter! I hope you enjoy even though it's a super slow chapter!
E.I.G.H.T.E.E.N.
I'd like to tell you that things were better after that, but Darry just kept staring at me, with a look of disbelief on his face.
"I'm really sorry" I whispered, wishing desperately that I could retreat under the blankets until Darry stopped staring.
But that's not how things were done in this family, I couldn't hide from my mistakes, and I knew it.
"Why?"
I shrugged my shoulder, "I don't know…"
Darry's eyes pierced mine and I looked to Dallas but his cold glare was no better.
"I was jealous of Cherry," I said meekly
"Jealous? Why?" Darry asked, and then it dawned on him and his eyes flooded with understanding sweeping away the disappointment.
Like we've said, Darry is a smart guy.
I felt my eyes well up and I struggled to keep the tears back, "I'm really sorry Dallas"
"Yeah well, no real harm done" He said roughly jamming his hands in his pockets and adverting his gaze so that I couldn't really tell if he understood my reasoning.
Darry grasped his shoulder and led him out of the room, I could hear him apologizing in the hallway and Dallas's tough sounding acceptance.
The screen door slammed and the house was silent as I crawled out of bed and sat by the window.
"Amber?"
"Yeah Pony?" I asked, not needing to turn around, I knew he'd be there.
"Are you ok kid?"
"Pony, I'm so embarrassed, I don't know how I'll ever be able to face him again, and all the kids in school who think that, I…with Jake, I can't go back Pony, I can't".
"It'll be ok, I'll be with you in school and I'll skin anyone, who dares to say anything about you," He promised, slipping an arm over my shoulders.
I turned my watery gaze to him and tried to smile, "I'm sorry I'm such a crybaby".
He rubbed my shoulders and held me to him and didn't say anything as I sniffed back my tears and tried to collect myself enough to go out into the living room and face Darry and Soda.
There's nothing worse than embarrassing your family and I blushed crimson with disgrace all through dinner whenever their gazes would fall on me.
"Good dinner Darry," I mumbled picking the dishes up off the table hurriedly, dropping a knife on the floor because of my shaking arms.
Soda stood up and took the plates out of my arms before I dropped them, placing them on the counter.
We couldn't afford to lose anymore plates, they were all mismatched and chipped as it was.
I turned to the sink, scrubbing hard at the pan Darry cooked the chicken in with all my built up angst.
"You're bound to rub a hole right through it if you scrub any harder Amber," Soda said leaning under the table and retrieving the knife, placing it on the stack of plates.
I rinsed the pan and handed it to Pony to dry as Soda continued to clear the table, Darry had moved into the living room and was stretched out on the couch reading the paper.
I tried to relax, my brothers weren't looking at me in scorn, only concern and I felt bad for them because already I had a problem they couldn't fix.
I doubted they wanted to anyway, relief was practically written on their faces that Dallas hated me, better I make a fool out of myself and stay clear of anything beyond friendly relations with Dallas Winston. They didn't have to verbalize it, I could tell that's what they were thinking.
With a sigh I picked up the plates and placed them in the sink, scrubbing with a little less intensity but still feeling like there was a rock in my stomach whenever I thought about school.
"Pony, they're all staring"
"No they aren't, no more than usual," he assured me.
I pulled on my skirt trying to make it fall past my knees instead of right above them.
"Hi Pony, Hi Amber!" Fred called from down the hall.
I hugged my books to my chest tightly and smiled at him as he approached and joined us on our walk to homeroom.
Further down the hallway we found Two-Bit who merely raised an eyebrow at me and then patted my shoulder awkwardly.
So they all knew, I squared my jaw and tried to block out the thought of my brothers and the gang sitting around and talking about my crush on Dallas.
With my small army behind me I marched down the hall and past the peering eyes and into homeroom where we said goodbye to Two-Bit and took our seats in the back of the room.
I couldn't get out of the school fast enough when lunch finally came around.
Stories traveled fast in a public school like ours, nasty rumors spread even faster and there wasn't a single person in the school, I was sure, who hadn't heard Jake's bragging.
Other members of the football team, boys I would have to cheer for that weekend at the game, threw their arms around me in the hallway making crude comments and extending disgusting invitations.
Boys I wouldn't go near if you paid me asked me out, threw notes on my desk during class making lurid remarks.
I felt sick.
When Ponyboy finally found me outside the building pressed up against the wall, I groaned.
His lip was cut, his clothes more disheveled than usual.
He shrugged off my care, "I'm fine Amber," He said tightly.
"Darry is gonna kill you for fighting Pony, let me clean you up just a little, then we'll go to the DX, maybe Soda will hide us the rest of the day."
I nearly fell into Soda's arms when we got to the DX, I needed comfort and Pony was too angry to say or do much.
I felt awful that he was put into the position of having to defend me and my honor, Darry really was gonna kill him.
"What's wrong doll?" Soda asked soothingly
I mumbled incoherently into his chest and he looked to Pony for explanation.
"Glory Ponyboy, what happened to you?" He asked reaching forward and pulling Pony's hand away from his lip where he'd been holding the wet paper towel I'd given him before we left school.
"Jake spread some rumors about Amber around school the…," Pony explained adding a few adjectives that I won't repeat here.
Soda's face screwed up in anger, but only for a minute before he hugged me close and told Steve to go into the store and get us some Pepsis and sandwiches.
While we waited Soda peeled me off of him and handed me a cloth smudged with grease to wipe my nose.
I wrinkled my dripping nose and shook my head in disgust jerking my head away from the cloth.
Finally catching me he held it up, "blow"
I did as I was told much to Ponyboy's amusement and watched as Soda re-pocketed the cloth.
Handkerchiefs always fascinated me, I just couldn't understand carrying around your mucus all day.
Steve came back out dropping a few plastic wrapped sandwiches onto Soda's lap and placing the cool bottles of Pepsi onto the hood of a nearby car.
"There you go guys, dig in," Soda said shifting me off his lap and onto the bench next to him.
Pony ate hungrily but I couldn't get the rock of humiliation that had settled at the bottom of my stomach to leave.
I knew I hadn't done anything wrong, bar the whole Dallas situation, but I still felt like I had.
Ponyboy and I went back to school grudgingly awhile later followed by Steve and Two-Bit whose cheerful comments didn't have their usual spirit lifting effect.
I lurked through the hallways and sunk low in my seat avoiding eye contact whenever possible.
I could only pray that things would get better.
They always did, I told myself. Something would happen and everyone would be talking about that instead, it was bound to happen.
Still, I left cheer practice eagerly that day not bothering to change out of my cheer skirt and sweater, walking as quickly as possible to the place under a tall oak tree where I always met Ponyboy when he got out of track practice.
I stopped short at the sight of a large group of people in a circle, a sure sign that a fight was in progress.
I bowed my head low and tried to rush past but a girl who sat next to me in English and was on the school newspaper stopped me, "Did you see it Amber?"
"See what?" I asked standing on my tip-toes and tried to see what was going on.
"Jake just got beaten up by a hood with the most gorgeous eyes you'd ever see. He forced Jake to admit that nothing happened between the two of you, your name is cleared," she said excitedly.
I smiled weakly at her, the most gorgeous eyes she'd ever seen? A hood? It couldn't be I decided with a shake of my head pushing my way through the crowd and up to Jake.
He was lying on the ground, blood ran down his face and his nose was obviously broken.
Whoever had done it had done a very thorough job.
When Jake saw me he tried to stand up, I pushed him back down with my foot, "You disgust me."
I walked away from him and the meek insults he was hurling in my direction and over to Ponyboy ignoring the remarks, both good and bad being called from the onlookers.
I had to know whom it was who had done it.
Ponyboy had seen the whole thing and gave me a step by step account of the fight.
"But who was it Pony?" I asked impatiently, I could tell he was holding back.
His smile was enough to confirm my suspicions and I fairly beamed with pleasure, it was Dallas.